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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24620083">Or Nothing, If You Prefer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/feminaexlux/pseuds/feminaexlux'>feminaexlux</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Gen, Mentions of alcohol, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Past Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Past Relationship(s), Prompt Fill, Tumblr: mlweeklyprompts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:21:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,166</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24620083</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/feminaexlux/pseuds/feminaexlux</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt responses for mlweeklyprompts.tumblr.com</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. In The Rain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Why did it always rain in the first week of school?</p>
<p>Marinette sighed as she looked out over the rain splattered steps of Francois Dupont. Last year there was a boy, an umbrella, and a clap of thunder. This year… there was just the rain.</p>
<p>“Hey Marinette,” said the boy in particular as he came up beside her. “Sorry I didn’t get a chance to talk with you earlier! How was your day?” Adrien asked, friendly as ever. Friendly. Because they were friends. Just friends.</p>
<p>“Hi Adrien,” Marinette smiled back an easygoing smile. “It’s been okay. I’m not too thrilled that it’s raining though.”</p>
<p>He chuckled. “Forgot your umbrella again? Would you like mine? The car’s already here so I’ll only be in the rain for a few seconds.”</p>
<p>“That’s alright, you know I don’t have far to walk.” Marinette pointed at the bakery across the street. “Thanks though.”</p>
<p>Adrien hesitated, then put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m probably not as good as Alya, but if you want someone to talk to, I’d be happy to listen. It seems like you’ve been sad recently and I want to help cheer you up if I can.”</p>
<p>She paused, then shook her head with a gentle smile. “I really appreciate it, Adrien. But I’m okay.”</p>
<p>The silver car’s passenger window came down and Nathalie stuck an umbrella through and opened it to shield herself from the downpour. “Adrien, your father is expecting you home.”</p>
<p>Adrien rolled his eyes. “Sorry. Feel free to text me, Marinette. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He patted her shoulder and walked off, opening his umbrella. He stopped after a few steps, turned around, ready to give the umbrella to Marinette.</p>
<p>But she was already walking away.</p>
<p>Marinette waved to the car as it went past and continued walking to the park behind her parents’ home. She stopped at the gates to gaze up at the gray clouds, feeling the drops land on her skin. She closed her eyes.</p>
<p>It was just the rain.</p>
<p>It was just Marinette.</p>
<p>After the rain there would still be Marinette.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Passing Ships</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’d been a surprise when Juleka saw Kagami coming onboard the Liberty. By herself. Without Adrien anywhere nearby. Without even Marinette anywhere nearby.</p>
<p>Without warning.</p>
<p>She gave a perfunctory hello to both Anarka and Juleka and asked where Luka was. Juleka just pointed to their shared bedroom in the main deck and Kagami bowed slightly as thanks. Kagami walked with purpose toward her objective, finding Luka laying back on his bed strumming that damned guitar of his.</p>
<p>“I kissed Marinette,” Kagami stated without preamble.</p>
<p>Luka’s hand slipped and the guitar made a strange screeching wail he muffled with his hand. “H-hey Kagami?” She just blinked at him, waiting for her words to sink in. He sat up straighter and coughed. “Okay? That’s good, right? Did… did she kiss you back?”</p>
<p>Kagami scanned his face, reading tension in the way he held his guitar like a lifeline, the way his jaw clenched, the slight frown he tried desperately to hide. He looked at Kagami and she knew he was analyzing her at the same time. Kagami narrowed her eyes at him, thinking about how pitiful it was that he’d try to be brave in front of her, that he’d try to turn the tables back on her. But that was the way Luka Couffaine worked. He’d take his last breath to ask if <em>you</em> were okay, just to divert attention away from himself.</p>
<p>“How would you feel if I answered yes to that question?” Kagami asked.</p>
<p>Luka’s frown deepened against his will. Internally Kagami felt the flush of victory that she’d landed a blow, but it was premature. “It doesn’t matter, because if you’re asking the question instead of saying you did I know it didn’t happen,” he said quietly. “I don’t know why you’re telling me all this.”</p>
<p>“Are you not jealous that I kissed Marinette?”</p>
<p>“I'm… I… don’t know.”</p>
<p>“Tell me, Luka Couffaine, what you would do if someone came in and snatched the love of your life away from you in front of your very eyes?”</p>
<p>“Are… you saying you did that?”</p>
<p>“Please answer my question.”</p>
<p>Luka sighed. “Clearly, it was my fault I’d lost her. I guess I’d wish them well.”</p>
<p>“You’re <em>pathetic</em>,” Kagami sneered. There were tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “How could you be so spineless?”</p>
<p>Luka looked shocked, then tilted his head to take another look at Kagami, as if the slight angle shift would put everything into focus and bring clarity. “Is this… some kind of analogy? Or metaphor? What’s bothering you, Kagami? Didn’t you want to kiss Marinette?”</p>
<p>“That’s not the point!” she yelled. “If you love Marinette why haven’t you done anything about it? Is it because it’s pointless? Is it because you know that she will just leave you? Is it because no matter what you do to try to keep him happy you’ll never be the right one for him?”</p>
<p>Luka put his guitar aside and got up, walking over to Kagami to pull her into a hug.</p>
<p>Kagami didn’t know how to react, so she just stood there and accepted the comforting gesture until she stepped back. “I apologize for my outburst,” Kagami said crisply.</p>
<p>“It’s cool,” Luka said easily enough. “I… nevermind. Are you okay?”</p>
<p>Kagami looked away. “I could be better but I can stand on my own.” She turned back to Luka. He had just… stood there, waiting? No. He was still watching over her. Processing, analyzing, contemplating. Judging. “It was an accident,” Kagami admitted. “Marinette fell and I caught her.”</p>
<p>“But you came here to tell me because it was important.” Luka said. “What happened after the accident?”</p>
<p>“She apologized and… was <em>Marinette</em>.” Kagami knew Luka understood what she meant by the slight smile that showed up on his face. “I told Adrien that was my first kiss. My first kiss was with Marinette by accident, because <em>he</em> would never kiss me. He won’t kiss me because he is in love with someone else. With the same person you are so fond of. I am here to… plead with you to ask her out, so Adrien can stop wondering if he is with the wrong person since the choice will be removed.”</p>
<p>“That's… not a good way to deal with this.”</p>
<p>Kagami narrowed her eyes at him. “You are waiting on her, she is waiting on you, you two are idiots.”</p>
<p>Now this blow Kagami knew she landed by the way Luka’s eyes opened wide. “Wh–she’s waiting on me?” He didn’t deny the <em>idiot</em> part. Good on him.</p>
<p>“She likes you, even I can see that. If it hadn’t been for Adrien, Marinette would be a stumbling mess around you. We’re in a stalemate unless you act, Couffaine.”</p>
<p>He shook his head and looked down. “Look, I’m not gonna–”</p>
<p>“Are you certain you want to be remembered as a coward?”</p>
<p>He snapped his head up, seeming angry for the first time. “That’s a low blow.”</p>
<p>“You must exploit the weaknesses in others when dueling. It gives your opponent the chance to realize their mistake and improve.”</p>
<p>“I never agreed to duel you.”</p>
<p>“But you know what I’m like. And I know you are avoiding the topic.”</p>
<p>Luka closed his eyes and inhaled. It wasn’t going to be easy to de-escalate with Kagami. Not when he was annoyed. Especially not when it involved Kagami’s feelings underneath the whole mess. From what he gathered with the way Juleka and Rose talked about Kagami, the girl was prone to choosing fairly direct solutions without thinking about consequences. “I did try when–”</p>
<p>“Try it again,” Kagami interrupted.</p>
<p>“Do you understand what a rebound relationship is, Kagami? Or something… god, I don’t know, temporary? <em>Transitional</em>?” Luka looked down at Kagami after folding his arms across his chest. “You’ve signed up for a battle you’re guaranteed to lose. I thought you were smarter than that.”</p>
<p>Kagami’s anger flared up, closely followed by a rush of embarrassment. “Don’t you mock me–”</p>
<p>“I hope you get to learn something from this relationship,” Luka cut in. “I really do. I hope you have a great time. I hope you never again have to doubt your worth so much that you run to a friend to goad him into something you know he’ll deeply regret just so you can have someone to share in the misery when everything comes crashing down.”</p>
<p>Kagami pulled back and angled herself away from Luka, shrinking slightly. It seemed like she was trying to minimize her presence. “I see.” She wiped her eyes again and faced Luka, inclining a short bow. “Thank you for your insight.”</p>
<p>“Don’t lose yourself…” Luka trailed off, then sighed. “Take care, Kagami.”</p>
<p>She stood there, staring through the porthole to the Seine over Luka’s shoulder. “Don’t you wish we were first?”</p>
<p>“But we’re not.”</p>
<p>Kagami nodded. “We are not.” She walked toward the doorway and stopped before she left completely. “I still think you are a coward.”</p>
<p>Luka sat back down on his bed and shrugged. “Yeah, probably. You’re not wrong.”</p>
<p>Kagami gave him a nod. “But neither were you. Goodbye, Luka.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Lonely Together</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Prompt fill for @mlweeklyprompts topic: <a href="https://mlweeklyprompts.tumblr.com/post/618196891164917760/topic-theres-nothing-more-frightening-than">"There's nothing more frightening than having a dream come true"</a></p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I thought I'd be keeping this Gen, but... okay these are <em>past</em> relationships. Just exploring some ideas.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One of Luka’s ex-girlfriends had suggested a couple of dance songs that he listen to. It wasn’t his usual genre but over time he started enjoying certain styles and certain artists. It was also a decent reminder of the good times with his ex, before they had to end it and never speak to each other again.</p><p>He scrolled through his phone, put in his earbuds, and started playing a song that was all too poignant for the rest of the night.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>My hands are tied, but not tight enough<br/>
You’re the high that I can’t give up<br/>
Oh Lord here we go<br/>
I might hate myself tomorrow, but I’m on my way tonight…</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>He grabbed some commiserating booze and… drank probably a fifth to pre-game and gear himself up properly. He threw the rest of the alcohol in a backpack and called a cab, giving the driver directions going East. Going East to what may easily be the most idiotic decision he’d ever made.</p><p>He tipped the cabbie and walked down the few remaining blocks to clear up his mind and to try to burn off the anxiety. He pushed the buzzer for apartment 202 but it didn’t take long for her to answer and let him in the complex. He adjusted the backpack strap, giving his hands something to do while he climbed the stairs up, hearing the boards creak under his weight. He got to her door and rapped against it with his knuckles.</p><p>The door opened and Marinette gave him a slightly sad smile.</p><p>“Hey. You called?” he said, feeling stupid. He shifted his backpack again as a nervous tick.</p><p>“I did. Thanks for being here,” she said quietly. She moved back and let him in, and he moved forward with his heart in his throat.</p><p>He stood in front of her kitchen counter, shifting his weight back and forth from his heels to the balls of his feet. “This is something I thought you’d ask… uh, Alya was it? To help out with.”</p><p>“I…” Something in Marinette’s voice broke, and his resolve nearly did the same. He took off his backpack and opened it up, pulling out some beer in aluminum cans with bottles of water and put them all on the counter, next to the already empty wine bottle she had. He’d been on the edge of walking over and wrapping her up in his arms but… well, that wasn’t what she had asked for. She needed someone <em>safe</em> and his feelings weren’t <em>safe</em>, so he kept those feelings bottled up and his hands occupied. He pretended to not be concerned that she covered her face in shame, delicate fingers pressed over her eyes. “Alya and I… We haven’t talked for a year now,” Marinette sighed, trying in vain to recover from her near sob.</p><p><em>Good job</em>, Luka. Already making her regret asking him to accompany her for tonight. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, remembering why he was here. He was here to make sure she didn’t make any stupid decisions. Any <em>more</em> stupid decisions, anyway. Her asking him to come had been the first mistake, but they were going to ignore that.</p>
<p></p><div class="fxl-text-left">
  <p>it’s done<br/>
18:22</p>
</div><br/><div class="fxl-text-left">
  <p>can you come by?<br/>
i don’t want to drink alone<br/>
22:14</p>
</div><p>That had been the last couple of texts she sent, and he had immediately called her after the last one and made sure she wasn’t hurting herself. She said she was okay, but needed him to keep her sane. Luka had always been a little too responsible (and a little too reckless) to ignore a cry for help.</p><p>Marinette had been keeping him apprised of what’d been happening in her life since he stumbled back into it a few weeks ago, when she bolted from the Agreste mansion after his flower delivery for Gabriel Agreste. It hadn’t at all been the way he expected to see her again after they broke up from their brief relationship a few years ago.</p><p><em>That</em> had been Luka’s decision. Marinette was a wonderful, warm, brilliant, flat out amazing girl, but she also had hidden a lot of pain behind an optimistic façade. Whatever she had going on underneath it all was taking a strain on her. And their relationship wasn’t helping, so he thought she’d be relieved when she no longer had to factor him into her decision making process. He’d been right.</p><p>Marinette had also still been in love with Adrien Agreste. Luka never had an issue with that, but it was clear in the way she froze when Adrien passed by that a part of her was unable to let him go. Until she <em>did</em> let Adrien go, just today. Which was why Luka was here in Marinette’s apartment: she told him she was done with anything Agreste related and needed to forget about them for the night. He had his doubts that she was truly over it, but he was still going to be there for her like he promised her all those years ago. Listen to her, help her stay calm, make her drink some water, get her to her bed. And leave after that.</p><p>“Did you drink all this tonight?” Luka asked, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. He picked up the empty wine bottle to show Marinette what he was talking about.</p><p>She shook her head. “It was already half empty. I promise.” She looked at the other bottles on the counter. “What did you bring?” she asked, asking with a slight smile.</p><p>“Nothing too hard. Sorry,” he shrugged. “Last time I was asked to… do something like this, it was a disaster. I didn’t want to get either of us to get hammered.”</p><p>“Makes sense,” she murmured, watching him pull back the tabs on 2 cans of beer. He handed one over to Marinette and raised his own after in a silent toast to the evening. “You… aren’t gonna ask about… Mmm,” Marinette trailed off.</p><p>He had a slight smile. “I know the reason you asked me here is because we don’t hang out with the same people. I’m not here to judge and I’m not going to say anything to anyone. All this here is just between you and me.”</p><p>“No, no, I know. I trust you. Th-thank you, again,” she said quietly, sipping at the beer. “I’m sorry I… I know I’m keeping you up and you must have had better things than to babysit me and…”</p><p>“I’m fine. I’m here for you. I’ll listen to whatever you want to say, or you don’t have to say anything at all and I can just hang out.”</p><p>Marinette sighed and sat back down on her couch. She took a few breaths before speaking again, staring at the floor. “I never thought that I’d be unhappy that I got what I wanted.”</p><p>He leaned against the counter and stuffed his free hand in his jean pocket to hide the anxious shaking. It didn’t sound like she was finished.</p><p>“It wasn’t like I imagined,” she continued. He nodded, watching her watch him. “It was… nice for a while. But… I don’t know. I wasn’t getting… better?” She took a longer sip of her drink. “I never really thought too much about what happens after I’d gotten what I’d been… dreaming of, I guess.”</p><p>“Can you tell me what you mean?” Luka asked, more than a little lost. “I’m not following.”</p><p>“I mean… I mean that it was like… ugh,” she took in a breath and exhaled. “I was in love with an <em>idea</em> of a person and when I was actually with him I was angry at myself that I couldn’t see past that… that layer, you know? For the longest time. Adrien <em>is</em> sweet and he <em>is</em> charming and <em>sometimes</em> he’s funny but there was so much of him that I didn’t know about and… I didn’t have any clue how to… how to make all that work with the stupid little fantasy in my head? I had this whole plan that we’d date and get married and have 3 kids and a dog and a hamster but there was his father and all this stuff–” she gesticulated wildly and almost tossed her beer– “with Emilie and the modeling and fencing and basketball and all the things he has to do for the Agreste brand.”</p><p>“Emilie?”</p><p>“Oh um Adrien’s mom. She’s the one that was–is missing? I think they… they’ve. It’s worse when you don’t know if someone’s really gone. They’re holding on so tightly to who she was…” She set her beer on the floor and put her head in her hands. “I know it sucks. I know it’s really painful. Sometimes it gets worse over time instead of getting better. I think that’s why Gabriel kept Adrien so busy all the time. So Adrien wouldn’t have to think about it. But he never got closure. Neither of them actually.”</p><p>Luka wasn’t sure if there was anything to say.</p><p>“I just felt… I just felt like I had to fix it. I was thinking ‘well this is part of growing up so grow up and be the woman Adrien needs you to be'…” Marinette raised her head back up and looked at Luka. “But I couldn’t.”</p><p>Okay, there were a couple of things he could say to that, but… he wasn’t supposed to judge. He wasn’t supposed to suggest that maybe the Agrestes should have had someone professional and trained tell them to get their heads on straight and maybe have a couple years of in-home therapy sessions or maybe straight out have a therapist battalion manage their B.S. It wasn’t supposed to be the job of one 19 year old girl.</p><p>So all he said was “That sounds pretty intense for you to take on by yourself,” just a simple statement. He watched her turn her gaze away from him and stare at nothing through a window.</p><p>Marinette huffed out a breath. “It was and I was stupid for ever thinking I could tackle that,” she whined.</p><p>He’d debated several different things to say. “It’s not stupid to try to help someone.”</p><p>“Luka, you can stop holding yourself back for my sake. I know you think you need to be careful with your words or whatever but I need you to tell me I messed up, that I let a perfectly good relationship go to get into <em>this</em>, that I wasted 3 years of my life trying to be a girlfriend to someone who needed a <em>mom</em> more than anything!”</p><p>Some warning bells went off in his head. “Tell you… Why?”</p><p>“No, no, I mean…” She sighed. “I already know. I already know that I messed up.”</p><p>“I’m not saying that and I’m not going to say that because it’s not true. What I want to know is why you think you messed up.”</p><p>Marinette looked back at him and stayed silent for a bit. “All that time I was wondering how you would have dealt with it, how you knew what sort of things you’d say to make it better. I… I’m not as good as you are when it comes to knowing what to say… and when to say them.” Luka felt a small pit of dread open up in his stomach. “I told Adrien I wished it was easier with him. Like it’d been when I was with you. I wish I could have stayed with you.”</p><p><em>There it was</em>, the klaxons in his head rang out. He hadn’t known he was signing himself up for pain when he took that Agreste delivery. He hadn’t expected Marinette at the door after the gates opened. He should have bit back the “<em>Are you okay?</em>” he’d asked when he saw her looking so exhausted. She was still beautiful, dressed in a somber gray with pink accents, a fake smile plastered on her face up until she realized who she was talking to. She had taken the flowers and slammed the door in his face.</p><p>He had returned to his van and the gates had started closing when the doors to the mansion burst open and Marinette sprinted out, pleading with Luka to hold open the gates so she could get out. She had gotten into the passenger side and begged him to take her away. He got her to a safe place and they started talking again, reminding them both just how much they missed each other.</p><p>And now a month later, here he was in her apartment while she let out her thoughts in front of him, revealing to him that she had in fact regretted that their relationship ended… like he did. He hadn’t given her up to let her get so unhappy. That wasn’t at all what was supposed to happen. And now he was here regretting that he was the one that ultimately pushed her into this. He thought he’d done the right thing.</p><p>“Luka?”</p><p>He blinked and focused on her again. “Sorry. I… Look, Marinette, it’s not a good idea for me to stay here. I think I should go.”</p><p>Panic and shock bubbled up into her expression and she launched herself toward him. “Wait, don't… not yet, please?” She put her hands on his, trying to stop him from putting his backpack on. He’d left the bottles of water on her counter but dumped his beer out into her sink. “I-I’m sorry I didn’t want you to–I was just–I know you don’t want–I mean–”</p><p>The song he’d been listening to came back to mind.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>And I know, and I know, and I know, and I know just how this ends</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>Marinette took in a breath and sighed, taking his hand into hers and squeezing it. “Thank you for taking care of me,” she whispered, tears welling up and spilling onto her cheeks. “Everything you’ve done, all the things you do… ” She let his hand drop. “I… appreciate it. And I’m sorry for… sorry that…” she trailed off.</p><p>He let out a sigh of his own, putting the hand she had held on her shoulder. “I want you to be safe, and I want you to be happy, and I want you to know you’re still as important and amazing to me as you’ve always been.” So why was he leaving? That wasn’t right. She asked for him and he came and he shouldn’t bail out now because he felt guilty. “No, you’re right, I should stay. I’ll stay, sorry. I don’t know how to handle this, I don’t know what to say to help you.” <em>I wanted to leave because the longer I stay the more I might do something stupid</em>, he thought.</p><p>He looked back up at her when he realized he was looking at the floor. She looked stricken. He opened his mouth to say something but she spoke instead. “Those were the same words you used when you broke up with me,” Marinette said quietly. “But you left.”</p><p><em>Crap</em>. He frowned, then nodded. “I did,” he agreed, sliding the backpack off his shoulders and setting it on the floor, resting against the counter’s side. “I’m not going to do that now.”</p><p>Marinette turned away and walked back to her couch to sit down. She hunched over and propped her head on her hands, elbows resting on her legs. “Luka, what are we? Friends? Exes? Strangers?”</p><p>“Whatever you need it to be,” he said.</p><p>“Am I… no, I am. I think I’m just…” She sighed. “I’m just lonely and maybe I’m taking advantage of your… kindness.”</p><p>He blew a small breath out and smiled. “That’s fine.” He grabbed two bottles of water and walked over to sit down next to her. “We’ll be lonely together.”</p>
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